The effects of planting methods and granivory on seedling emergence in a tallgrass prairie reconstruction

This study investigates effects of various seed incorporation methods (none, cultipack, rake, rake and culti-pack) and seed predation on prairie species emergence and establishment over two growing seasons. To assess seed incorporation, seed was coated with a fluorescent orange powder and sampled with a black light the night of seeding. Powder coated seed was broadcast seeded in early November 2007. Seed was incorporated into the soil by culti-packing, raking, or a combination of raking followed by culti-packing. Seed was not incorporated into the soil in control plots. Granivore exclosures in the research plots were used to determine the effect of granivory on prairie seedling emergence. Prairie species emergence and granivory were sampled in June of 2008, September of 2008, and June of 2009. High winds occurred for 7 days after seeding resulting in a 21.5% seed loss in broadcast treatments with no incorporation and no losses in seed incorporation treatments. Low native seedling emergence limited data analysis and interpretation. Initially, raking alone and culti-packing alone increased seedling emergence 25% more than other treatments. The majority of the species that benefited from the seed incorporation treatments were annuals, biennials, and short-lived perennials. However, in year 2, there were no significant (